DanPhilpott’s Comments

• Oct 13th, 2009 @ 8:17am

  Security & Social Media

  on On The Uselessness Of Blocking Social Networks At Work
  There are often good security reasons to block access to social media sites. SecBarbie indicated a good one, maintaining regulatory compliance. Others include information leakage, risks associated with site applications, phishing/spear phishing, web application attacks and use as a vector for malware transmission.
  
  All that said a kneejerk response to block social media is not called for. Social media is a valid and valuable resource and communications method. What organizations need to do is consider the risks and benefits from use and make decisions that minimize the risk while maximizing the benefit. For example, companies may want to manage social media access if they are under some regulatory obligation to not communicate certain information (e.g., quiet period during IPO, SOX compliance, etc.). The management may result in restriction, monitoring or recording. Another risk based decision might be to manage access to social media sites based on their potential for abuse. An example of this would be blocking access to Facebook where the application platform presents some serious risks while allowing access to Twitter where the risks are more manageable.